Sense amplifier circuits and methods of operation

ABSTRACT

A sense amplifier circuit includes a power node having a power node voltage at a power voltage level, a bit line having a bit line voltage, a sense amplifier output, an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor coupled in series between the power node and the bit line, and a logic gate configured to generate a sense amplifier output voltage at the sense amplifier output based on the bit line voltage. The NMOS transistor is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a first level and operate in a region above the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a second level, and the first level is between the second level and the power voltage level.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/989,139, filed Jan. 6, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,502,100, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/200,602, filed Mar. 7, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,236,114, issued Jan. 12, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/658,060, filed Oct. 23, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,705,305, issued Apr. 22, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/684,842, filed Jan. 8, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,315,119, issued Nov. 20, 2012, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application 61/155,801 filed Feb. 26, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This present application relates generally to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to memory arrays, and even more particularly to the design and operation of static random access memory (SRAM) arrays and/or register files that use single ended sensing to sense the data in a bit cell.

BACKGROUND

Static random access memory (SRAM) is commonly used in integrated circuits. SRAM cells have the advantageous feature of holding data without a need for refreshing. SRAM cells may include different numbers of transistors, and are often accordingly referred to by the number of transistors, for example, six-transistor (6T) SRAM, eight-transistor (8T) SRAM, and the like. The transistors typically form a data latch for storing a data bit. Additional transistors may be added to control the access to the transistors. SRAM cells are typically arranged as an array having rows and columns. Typically, each row of the SRAM cells is connected to a word-line, which determines whether the current SRAM cell is selected or not. Each column of the SRAM cells is connected to a bit-line (or a pair of bit-lines), which is used for storing a data bit into a selected SRAM cell or reading a stored data bit from the selected SRAM cell.

A register file is an array of processor registers in a central processing unit (CPU). Integrated circuit-based register files are usually implemented by way of fast SRAMs with multiple ports. Such SRAMs are distinguished by having dedicated read and write ports, whereas ordinary multi-ported SRAMs will usually read and write through the same ports.

With the scale of integrated circuits decreasing, the operation voltages of integrated circuits are reduced and similarly the operation voltages of memory circuits. Accordingly, read and write margins of the SRAM cells, which are used to measure how reliable the data bits of the SRAM cells can be read from and written into, respectively, are reduced. Due to the existence of static noise, the reduced read and write margins may increase the possibility of errors in the respective read and write operations.

For single ended sensing of a memory cell, the precharged local bit-line either stays at the precharged level or it is discharged to ground level depending on the data that is stored in the bit-cell. When the local bit-line is kept floating during the case where the cell does not have the data value to discharge the local bit-line, the leakage from the pass gates (all cells in one column) discharges the local bit-line to zero during low frequency operation, thus making a false sensing. To avoid this false sensing issue, the local bit-line is kept at Vdd through a weak (small current) precharger device, i.e. a “keeper” circuit.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional sense amplifier circuit 100 that can be a portion of a SRAM array or register files, and includes a keeper circuit 102. The size of components of the keeper 102 is very critical in order to assure that the bit-cell overpowers the keeper 102 for a normal read operation. The circuit 100 is connected to bit-lines, i.e. top bit-line 108 a and bottom bit-line 108 b. The precharger 110 charges the local bit-line 108 a and 108 b to high state according to the control signals 114 when there is no read operation. During manufacturing of the memory as disclosed in FIG. 1, there are acceptable variations in performance parameters. Process corners refer to integrated circuits with lowest and/or highest desirable performance parameters. Skew corners refer to integrated circuits with both lowest and highest desirable performance parameters in their sub-circuits. At low voltages, and skew corners (e.g. slow array transistors in bit-line 108 a or 108 b and fast periphery transistors in a keeper 102), the bit-cell connected to the bit-line 108 a or 108 b will not be able to overpower this keeper 102. Therefore, there is a limitation on the lowest desirable power supply voltage, i.e. Vdd_min, for the circuit to operate without error.

One way to make this circuit 100 work properly under low voltage is to increase the resistance of the keeper 102, such as increasing the channel length of the keeper transistor 104 or decreasing the width of the same. This will make the keeper 102 easier to be overcome by the bit-cell connected to the bit-line 108 a or 108 b. However, this method has its limits due to the area that the keeper transistor 104 occupies and also the current flow level necessary for the keeper 102 to provide the leakage current from the pass gates and thus make it operational.

Another way to make the circuit 100 operational under low voltage is to make the trip point voltage of the NAND gate 106 higher, where the trip point is the highest voltage where the sense amplifier output at output node 112 switches from a high level to a low level. For that purpose, for example, when the NAND gate 106 comprises NMOS and PMOS, the value of β of the NAND gate 106 can be increased, where β is the ratio of Wp/Wn, and Wp and Wn are the gate widths of PMOS transistor and NMOS transistor, respectively. This ratio β determines the trip point in CMOS circuits. However, this will make the circuit 100 susceptible to noise closer to the high state voltage because the trip point is higher. For example, when there is noise in the bit-line 108 a or 108 b close to a high state, the output voltage could be lowered by the noise below the trip point of the NAND gate 106, which triggers an erroneous operation.

Therefore, methods to avoid false sensing the local bit-line under low voltage for SRAM and/or register files are desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional sense amplifier circuit;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sense amplifier circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a half-Schmitt trigger circuit for used as an exemplary noise threshold control circuit 206 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a graph of the output of the bit-line read/sense amplifier/read showing a trip point or the voltage at which the sense amplifier receiver switches with the same bit-line slope for (1) a prior art circuit with β=3.3, (2) a prior art circuit with β=16.7, and (3) a proposed circuit according to one embodiment of the disclosure with β=3.3;

FIG. 5 is a graph of the output of the bit-line read/sense amplifier/read showing the bit-line slopes for (1) a prior art circuit with β=3.3, (2) a prior art circuit with β=16.7, and (3) a proposed circuit according to one embodiment of the disclosure with β=3.3, with different bit-line voltage lines for prior art circuit and the proposed circuit;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the sense amplifier circuit according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the sense amplifier circuit according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of an variation of the sense amplifier circuit according to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7A; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the sense amplifier circuit according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The circuits of the presently preferred embodiments are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the present disclosure provides many applicable concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. A skilled person will appreciate alternative implementations.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sense amplifier circuit 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The sense amplifier circuit 200 has a keeper circuit 202. The circuit 200 is connected to bit-lines, i.e. top bit-line 108 a and bottom bit-line 108 b. The precharger 110 charges the local bit-line 108 a and 108 b to a high state according to the control signals 114 when there is no reading operation.

Further, the keeper circuit 202 has NMOS transistors 204 and a noise resistant NAND gate 206. In this particular example, the gate node of the NMOS transistor 204 in the keeper circuit 202 is connected to the power supply node and its source node is connected to the bit line. The drain node of the NMOS transistor 204 is connected to the power supply node through a PMOS transistor. The NMOS 204 is only in sub-threshold until the bit-line read voltage reaches V_(dd)−V_(T), where V_(T) is the threshold voltage of the transistor, thus effectively making the keeper circuit 202 weaker, i.e. easier to be overcome by the bit-line as its voltage decreases. In one embodiment, the noise resistant NAND gate 206 (or a noise threshold control circuit) is a half-Schmitt trigger; in another embodiment, the noise resistant NAND gate 206 is a Schmitt trigger as depicted in FIG. 2. However, in alternative embodiments, alternative circuits may be formed by rearranging the devices so that the β ratio is decreased or the trip point is lowered.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one example of the noise threshold control circuit 206 as indicated by NAND gate symbol in FIG. 2, using a half-Schmitt trigger circuit.

By lowering the trip point of the sense amplifier out, it is possible to use a lower pre-charge voltage level on the bit-line and avoid false sensing of the bit-line read. The trip point is the highest voltage where the sense amplifier output switches from a high level to a low level. The response time of the bit-line to output is reduced because of the improved bit-line slope of the new circuit design. The response time of the sense amplifier output is faster due to the new scheme. Further, in at least some embodiments, the local bit-line is precharged to V_(dd)−V_(T), instead of V_(dd).

The keeper circuit 204 using NMOS transistors as shown in FIG. 2 make the keeper circuit 202 effectively weaker, i.e. easier to overcome by the bit-line. However, this in turn can make the prior art circuit susceptible to noise when there are voltage fluctuations on the bit-line 108 a or 108 b. To avoid the noise susceptibility, a noise threshold control circuit 206, e.g. a half-Schmitt trigger or a Schmitt trigger circuit is used in place of the prior art NAND gate 106. This scheme makes it possible to perform the bit-line read operation without false sensing at lower power voltage by having a lower trip point.

FIG. 4 is a graph of the trip point or the voltage at which the sense amplifier receiver switches with the same bit-line slope for (1) a prior art circuit with β=3.3, (2) a prior art circuit with β=16.7, and (3) a proposed circuit with β=3.3. The bit-line read plot is based on the prior art circuit 100 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 4, the prior art circuit 100 with β=3.3 has the trip point at point (1). The prior art circuit 100 with β=16.7 has the trip point at point (2). The purpose of increased β is to make the keeper circuit 102 weaker so that the bit-line read can overcome the keeper circuit 102 at lower power supply voltage. As shown in FIG. 4, the trip point (2) is higher than trip point (1). In one circuit simulation under the power supply voltage of 0.7V according to one of the embodiments, the difference is about 34 mV. However, by increasing the trip point, the sense amplifier output is susceptible to the bit line read voltage fluctuations caused by noise. This makes the prior art circuit difficult to operate at lower voltage. In comparison, the proposed circuit 200 with β=3.3 according to one of the embodiments has trip point at point (3). The trip point (3) is lower than (1) or (2). In the simulation under the power supply voltage of 0.7V, the difference between (3) and (1) is about 77 mV, and the difference between (3) and (2) is about 111 mV. This makes the proposed circuit easier to operate at lower voltage. Also, in another simulation with the power supply voltage of 0.6V, both sense amplifier circuits according to prior art do not work at all, i.e. the sense amplifier outputs do not switch when the bit-line voltage dropped, while the proposed circuit operates properly.

FIG. 5 is a graph of the output of the bit-line read/sense amplifier/read showing the bit-line slopes for (1) a prior art circuit with β=3.3, (2) a prior art circuit with β=16.7, and (3) a proposed circuit with β=3.3, with different the bit-line voltage lines for prior art circuit and the proposed circuit. FIG. 5 shows a separate bit-line read voltage plot for the circuit 200 according to one of the embodiments. The same bit-line read voltage based on the prior art circuit 100 shown in FIG. 1 is shown to facilitate understanding. As shown, the prior art circuit with β=16 has a shorter response time (the time where the trip point (2) is positioned) compared to the response time of point (1) of the prior art circuit 100 with β=3.3. However, the proposed circuit response time (the time where the trip point (3) is positioned) is even shorter than the prior art with β=16.7 (the time where the trip point (2) is positioned). In one simulation under the power supply voltage of 0.7V, the difference between (3) and (1) is about 0.9 ns, while the difference between (3) and (2) is about 0.2 ns.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the sense amplifier circuit 600 according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the NMOS 604 transistor in the keeper circuit 602 is configured as a diode by connecting its gate and drain node of the NMOS transistor 604. The drain node of the NMOS transistor 604 is connected to the power supply node Vdd through a PMOS transistor 606. The source node of the NMOS transistor 604 is connected to the bit line 108 a and/or 108 b.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the sense amplifier circuit 700 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the gate and drain node of the NMOS transistor 704 in the keeper circuit 702 are connected to the power supply node Vdd and its source node is connected to the bit line 108 a and/or 108 b through a PMOS transistor 706.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of a variation of the sense amplifier circuit show in FIG. 7A. In this embodiment, the gate and drain node of the NMOS transistor 714 in the keeper circuit 712 are connected to the power supply node Vdd and its source node is connected to the bit line 108 a and/or 108 b through a PMOS transistor 716.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the sense amplifier circuit 800 according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the source node of the NMOS transistor 804 in the keeper circuit 802 is connected to the power supply node through a PMOS transistor 806 and its drain node is connected to the bit line 108 a and/or 108 b. The gate node of the NMOS transistor 804 is connected to the power supply node Vdd. According to this embodiment, the noise threshold control circuit 808 including strong NMOS transistors 810 are connected in parallel to conventional NAND gate 106 to lower the trip point of the sense amplifier output by effectively lowering the value of β of the NAND gate 106.

In some embodiments, a sense amplifier circuit comprises a power node having a power node voltage at a power voltage level, a bit line having a bit line voltage, a sense amplifier output, an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor coupled in series between the power node and the bit line, and a logic gate configured to generate a sense amplifier output voltage at the sense amplifier output based on the bit line voltage. The NMOS transistor is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a first level and operate in a region above the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a second level, and the first level is between the second level and the power voltage level.

In some embodiments, a sense amplifier circuit comprises a power node having a power node voltage at a power voltage level, a first bit line having a first bit line voltage, a second bit line having a second bit line voltage, a first NMOS transistor and a first PMOS transistor coupled in series between the power node and the first bit line, and a NAND gate configured to generate a sense amplifier output voltage based on the first bit line voltage and the second bit line voltage. The first NMOS transistor is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region to maintain the first bit line voltage at a first level and operate in a region above the sub-threshold region to maintain the first bit line voltage at a second level, and the first level is between the second level and the power voltage level.

In some embodiments, a method of maintaining a bit line voltage of a bit line of a sense amplifier circuit comprises providing a power supply voltage at a power supply node, the power supply voltage having a power supply voltage level, selectively coupling the bit line to the power supply node using an NMOS transistor in series with a PMOS transistor, operating the NMOS transistor in a sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a first level, and operating the NMOS transistor above the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a second level, the first level being between the second level and the power supply voltage level. The method further comprises receiving the bit line voltage with a logic gate and driving a sense amplifier output with the logic gate.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, a single bit line circuit instead of a pair of bit-line circuit as shown in FIGS. 2-3, 6-9 can use an inverter with a single input and output instead of NAND gates with two inputs.

Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the invention described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, any development, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such developments. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sense amplifier circuit comprising: a power node having a power node voltage at a power voltage level; a bit line having a bit line voltage; a sense amplifier output; an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor coupled in series between the power node and the bit line; and a logic gate configured to generate a sense amplifier output voltage at the sense amplifier output based on the bit line voltage, wherein the NMOS transistor is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a first level and operate in a region above the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a second level, and the first level is between the second level and the power voltage level.
 2. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 1, wherein the second level and the power voltage level differ by at least a threshold voltage value of the NMOS transistor.
 3. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 1, wherein the NMOS transistor is configured to operate in the sub-threshold region and in the region above the sub-threshold region by a gate of the NMOS transistor having the power voltage level.
 4. The sense amplifier of claim 3, wherein the gate of the NMOS transistor is directly coupled to the power node.
 5. The sense amplifier of claim 3, wherein the gate of the NMOS transistor is selectively coupled to the power node by the PMOS transistor.
 6. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 1, wherein the PMOS transistor is configured to selectively couple the NMOS transistor to the power node or the bit line responsive to the sense amplifier output voltage.
 7. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 1, wherein the bit line is coupled to one or more pass gates of a static random access memory (SRAM) or register circuit, and the NMOS transistor is configured to compensate a leakage current through the one or more pass gates.
 8. The sense amplifier of claim 1, wherein the logic gate is an inverter.
 9. The sense amplifier of claim 1, wherein the logic gate is a noise resistant NAND gate.
 10. The sense amplifier of claim 9, wherein the noise resistant NAND gate comprises a half-Schmitt trigger circuit or a Schmitt trigger circuit.
 11. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 1, wherein the logic gate is a NAND gate, and the sense amplifier circuit further comprises a threshold control circuit configured to lower a trip point of the sense amplifier output.
 12. A sense amplifier circuit comprising: a power node having a power node voltage at a power voltage level; a first bit line having a first bit line voltage; a second bit line having a second bit line voltage; a first NMOS transistor and a first PMOS transistor coupled in series between the power node and the first bit line; and a NAND gate configured to generate a sense amplifier output voltage based on the first bit line voltage and the second bit line voltage, wherein the first NMOS transistor is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region to maintain the first bit line voltage at a first level and operate in a region above the sub-threshold region to maintain the first bit line voltage at a second level, and the first level is between the second level and the power voltage level.
 13. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 12, wherein the second level and the power voltage level differ by at least a threshold voltage value of the first NMOS transistor.
 14. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 12, wherein the first NMOS transistor is configured to operate in the sub-threshold region and in the region above the sub-threshold region by a gate of the first NMOS transistor having the power voltage level.
 15. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 12, further comprising a second NMOS transistor and a second PMOS transistor coupled in series between the power node and the second bit line, wherein the second NMOS transistor is configured to operate in a second sub-threshold region to maintain the second bit line voltage at a third level and operate in a second region above the second sub-threshold region to maintain the second bit line voltage at a fourth level, and the third level is between the fourth level and the power voltage level.
 16. The sense amplifier circuit of claim 12, further comprising a second PMOS transistor coupled between the first NMOS transistor and the second bit line, wherein the first NMOS transistor is configured to operate in the sub-threshold region to maintain the second bit line voltage at the first level and operate in the region above the sub-threshold region to maintain the second bit line voltage at the second level.
 17. A method of maintaining a bit line voltage of a bit line of a sense amplifier circuit, the method comprising: providing a power supply voltage at a power supply node, the power supply voltage having a power supply voltage level; selectively coupling the bit line to the power supply node using an NMOS transistor in series with a PMOS transistor; operating the NMOS transistor in a sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a first level; operating the NMOS transistor above the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at a second level, the first level being between the second level and the power supply voltage level; receiving the bit line voltage with a logic gate; and driving a sense amplifier output with the logic gate.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of operating the NMOS transistor in the sub-threshold region and operating the NMOS transistor above the sub-threshold region comprises driving a gate of the NMOS transistor to the power supply voltage level.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein driving the gate of the NMOS transistor to the power supply voltage level comprises coupling the gate of the NMOS transistor to the power supply node using the PMOS transistor responsive to the sense amplifier output.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of operating the NMOS transistor in the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at the first level or operating the NMOS transistor above the sub-threshold region to maintain the bit line voltage at the second level comprises offsetting a leakage current through one or more pass gates of a static random access memory (SRAM) or register circuit. 